


Dancing In The Dark

by ChocolateCarnival



Category: Bleach
Genre: Blind!Ichigo, Canon Divergence, Dark fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Injury, M/M, dark themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 05:52:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2013513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCarnival/pseuds/ChocolateCarnival
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Seireitei overrun by a powerful enemy, leaving the entirety of the city in ruins and the Gotei-13 attempting to rebuild what had been lost. One devastatingly injured Kurosaki Ichigo becomes the entire focus of the newly established Soutaichō, Kyōraku Shunsui, as the older Shinigami seeks to help him come to terms with his new disability and unknowingly sculpts their love.Yaoi</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Paralleled Vision

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all my honeys! I know I’m once again early with my update and it’s been split into two parts but this is important. This fic is going to become multi-chaptered because the plot is too complex to keep it tied to a simple two-shot fic. It takes place in the Canon timeline before Ichigo left with the Zero Division and he was injured, blinded, in his fight against Juha Bach.
> 
> So up until there, it is in Canon. From there on it’s going to be changing in both the storyline, the time flow of the original Bleach plot and when I bring in the Vandenreich later, if I will at all. I’m still undecided about that. There are some severe warnings for this fic!
> 
> This is a set pairing between Kyōraku Shunsui x Kurosaki Ichigo, a non-con lime between Juha Bach x Kurosaki Ichigo in chapter 1. It also contains a Blind! Ichigo, Soutaichō Shunsui and is very dark all around with violence, blood and angst. For now though, I think I covered all that I needed to. I know it’s short but you know my prologues are usually only a quarter of the length my full chapters are. 
> 
> Please enjoy! I’ll see you at the end of the chapter.

Deep within a haunting, overcast sky; the muffled silvery light of a full moon was reflected despairingly upon the vast planes of Soul Society's most sacred grounds...the Court of Pure Souls. The ruined remains of a Seireitei overrun by an age old enemy a mere week ago, was still smoking sparsely from the lingering after effects the fires of dense reishi the Quincy King and his invading army had left in their wake. Only now however, were they starting to die out in forgotten embers as the all encompassing terror and pain that they had created within this plane was sure to remain for a long time... Left with not only the task of rebuilding the destruction that had swept through the city itself but the entire pillar that had held the Shinigami unified for more than a thousand years, it seemed a near impossible task for the one man that had been forced into accepting the position his sometimes beloved, sometimes far too strict Sensei, had left sorrowfully empty. 

Kyōraku Shunsui, the newly instated Soutaichō of Seireitei and the man tasked with carrying the burden of unifying the Shinigami ranks, was jerked awake from his nightly rest in the early hours of the morning by a terrified shout that echoed deafeningly into the depths of his home. Situated a few kilometres away from the Ichibantai offices and within the official mansion of Seireitei's Soutaichō he was forced to occupy by the central government. A single deep grey eye snapped open in surprise at the resounding noise of utter despair that flooded the vast traditional home with an overwhelming push of uncontrolled reiatsu, thick with unbalanced emotion and uncontrolled power. Causing even him to gasp at its climbing intensity, Shunsui was left to try and get used to the torrential pressure that was rising and falling in tandem to its master's uncontainable despair and fear. 

Running absent fingertips through waist length, wavy brown locks; a lazy dark grey eye blinked away the heady sleep that still clung to long black lashes as Shunsui pushed himself to sit up abruptly. Accidentally brushing his palm against the black eye patch that was settled across his right eye with four thin black strings connected to its four corners. Two looping around his right temple and below his damaged ear, the other two were a little more visible as they traced across his left cheek, forehead and eventually met the others at the back of his head to keep the patch firmly in place. Tracing the soft edges of the item that displayed his new disadvantage to the world now; a drawn out sigh of exhaustion left parted lips as the former Hachibantai Taichō reluctantly dragged himself to his feet a few chaotic seconds later. Dressed in a simple black yukata that flowed in cool silken folds around his tall frame, the two comforting blades of Katen Kyokotsu resting in his obi for precaution; the gentle pad of his steady footsteps were fairly silent upon the traditional wooden floors as the older being tilted his head to the side to follow the echoing sounds which replaced those terrified screams with several coughs of strain instead. 

'Such terror in a single cry, Ichigo-kun. Just what did that man do to you?' Shunsui whispered to himself mournfully. Resting his back against the hallway wall outside of the room next to his, the brown haired Shinigami leaned his head back for several seconds as he allowed his strictly controlled reiatsu to spill into the hallways to announce his approaching presence to the being that was present on the other side of that door. It was just as well that he had been having unpleasant dreams, Shunsui thought to himself absently. That was the second time that night that he had been awoken by his guest's frightful screams and uncontained reiatsu. As it was now; with the unfamiliar press of a black patch across his right eye, the mourning cries of an innocent's terror and the lingering scent of scorched death that still clung in Seireitei's air...they all remained a stark reminder of the events that had unfolded a mere week prior in a sickening rush of harsh reality. But more than that...it was a reminder that the uncontrolled and traumatized reiatsu from a mere child in suffering was only the beginning of the ruined aftermath that every single Shinigami was experiencing when Yamamoto Genryūsai had died at the hands of an avenging Quincy King. 

Seireitei had been left in tatters; Shunsui himself having lost an eye in a battle against an unnamed opponent and there was nothing but sadness left within him at the sheer damage that had been wrought upon the one brave soul that had stood up to Juha Bach in a last-ditch effort to protect everyone in Soul Society. Kurosaki Ichigo, the single Substitute Shinigami that had stood against the man that had mercilessly murdered the Soutaichō of the Gotei-13 with a mere swing of his sword, had not left that collision of power without a slew of serious injuries himself. In fact, even when it was not a fatal injury or as bad as many of those that had been totally overpowered by the enemy...young Ichigo had suffered what was perhaps the most psychologically damaging and sense crippling injury of them all. It was heartbreaking as Shunsui thought of it now. For a young life to be shattered so completely from something they should have protected him from instead. It wasn't right. Ichigo did not deserve what had happened to him and on top of that, there was also the unknown element that the orangette simply refused to talk to anyone about. 

For those with a trained eye in the psychological workings of a mind; a few could see that something else, besides the devastating loss of his sight, had happened. Ichigo's traumatized and despondent form, his shuttered away personality, uncontrollable reiatsu and violent reaction to anyone approaching him he did not trust or didn't announce their presence first spoke volumes of his new found fears from something that Shunsui was sure had nothing to do with the loss of his sight. But he too may be reading into things too much; the loss of something that defines one's entire perception of the world was traumatizing enough. Especially for one so young. It must have felt to Ichigo like the world was ending and with his unusual temperament in shutting others out that were close to him before, it must have made it just a little worse for his weary soul. There were so few people that he allowed close to him now without violently pushing them back with an overwhelming flood of defensively lashing reiatsu. Another indicator to the brown haired Shinigami that something else was straining the orange haired teen's mind and body along with his devastating injury. 

Shunsui was one of three people he seemed to trust now, Ukitake the other and Unohana Retsu. But her, he suspected was more out of a necessity than anything else. It was strange, the newly instated Soutaichō had never been really close to the boy but he seemed genuinely calmed by his presence. He just couldn't seem to figure out why Ichigo would react to his presence in such a way when they had barely shared a few minutes of true conversation before all this had happened. But did it really matter who and what he found comfort in? Ichigo had been through enough as it was. As long as Shunsui could offer him a little reprieve from his pain and fears then that was alright. Ichigo needed someone he could rely on in his time of need and with many of his friends injured themselves and dealing with their own problems, Shunsui would gladly become the pillar for the child's consolation. 

At the echo of a pained cough spiralling into the air around him though, the brown haired Shinigami snapped himself from his thoughtful daze as he stepped towards the closed door decisively. With his knock resounding against the wooden frame of the shoji door before he eventually slid it open with the warning call of his voice, Shunsui prepared himself for what he would find on the other side. He absolutely hated the sound of such pain and suffering, especially when it came from one so young and vulnerable. This really should not have happened, Shunsui thought harshly. They should never have become so weak as to rely on an innocent to protect them...it should have been the other way around. He should have protected Ichigo when he had faced that monster all by himself. Not for them to only have found Ichigo in the aftermath, covered in blood and a headily torn cloak-like kosode.

It was still a mystery as to how Ichigo survived the encounter however, when Juha Bach was known for his absolute cruelty. But even now, Shunsui couldn't be more grateful that the teen did manage to stubbornly cling onto his life and will to survive whatever it was that that man had decided to force him to endure. If Shunsui were to have been responsible for the loss of another valuable, precious, life...he didn't know what he would have done. Not with the entirety of Soul Society in the state it was now and their enemies having disappeared just as quickly as they had come. 

'Ichigo-kun? Are you alright?' Shunsui called concernedly, his single grey eye softening sympathetically as he observed the moonlit bathed form that was sitting haphazardly up in his futon. Dishevelled and messy orange locks were feathering across a stretch of white bandages, descending darkly into bound eyes as the air was stained irrevocably with strained gasps for breath and the ragged rise and fall of his white yukata clad chest could be seen from the few meters that separated them. One of his injured hands, only partially healed by Unohana because of the overwhelming reiatsu present in the wounds itself, was laid across a parted mouth to still a ragging cough valiantly whilst the other twisted white sheets despairingly between tanned fingertips. 

The single through-and-through cut descending through both of Ichigo's palms at different angles clearly suggested that the orangette had been pinned down by a sword at some point. But when he had been asked about it, the Substitute Shinigami had gone deathly pale and simply refused to say anything more about it. Just as he refused to say how he had been blinded in the first place. It was not surprising though, Shunsui thought absently. To talk about something so traumatizing was difficult, even though it concerned him greatly the moment he had glimpsed the myriad of scars that drew across Ichigo's temples and eyelids when he had been present at Unohana's visit earlier that day. And when those eyes had been revealed for the first time, stained milky white and sightless...the brown haired Shinigami had felt his heart shattering a little. 

There was no trace left of the beautiful chocolate brown orbs that had been so expressive with emotion and compassion, no trace of the previous uncontained strength in those eyes. It was just a blank mirror, reflecting nothing but its own array of despair and utter terror back to the world. Something that the older being constantly sought to soothe away now, needed to comfort because it was so achingly painful to see Ichigo like this. Especially when he knew the damage could never be reversed. Juha Bach's reiatsu was too strong to heal the wounds properly, to even reject them with Inoue Orihime's power. They could not be mended when the damage extended to such a devastating extent. Damn it! Shunsui should never have―.

'S-Shunsui-san? Is that you?' A tentative tenor called frightfully; successfully dragging the Soutaichō out of his all encompassing thoughts as the brown haired Shinigami called a notable affirmation. The shoji doors slid shut behind him softly, Shunsui deliberately allowing his footsteps to be heard as he transversed the room until he could come to a halt right next to a white futon. Ichigo's head was tilting to the side, instinctively following the small sounds Shunsui made as the orangette's upset became much more noticeable when the dulled moonlight ignited across his form from an open window. Bathing tanned skin hauntingly in a muffled silvery light; the older being shifted his wavering attention to the paled features that were turned halfway towards him curiously. There was a heady scowl furrowing tangerine brows, showing up in the blood stained white bandages that were wound securely across two sightless eyes before a small shuddering breath of distress echoed in the air around them. 

'It's just me, Ichigo.' Shunsui assured several seconds later, seeking to soothe away the subtle panic he could see encircling the orangette's form in a climbing response of rising reiatsu and uncontrolled lashes of power. His upset had not completely faded, even after Shunsui had confirmed his identity. But at least those headily tensed shoulders seemed to relax a little more now that the older being was pouring his own, very recognizable, reiatsu into the room as a catalyst to calm Ichigo uncontrolled emotions. When Shunsui knelt beside the orange haired teen's sitting form, after having placed Katen Kyokotsu next to the shattered form of Zangetsu close to Ichigo's side, the long brown haired Taichō reached forward softly to pull an injured hand from the teen's mouth before laying it against the soft fabric of the futon comfortingly. He tried very hard to ignore the subtle flinch he detected the moment his skin came into contact with Ichigo's, pushing it into the back of his mind to think about later before he rested his palm against a pale forehead tenderly. 

'I-I'm sorry...did I wake you? I didn't―.'

'Yare, yare but you are a difficult child, Ichigo-kun.' Shunsui breathed exasperatedly. His forefinger pressing against the tip of a nose playfully when the orangette tried to pull away from him but leant into his touch simultaneously as well. Just like a child that was starved for attention and comfort but was too afraid to take part in it, was prone to do. 'I've told you that it's alright if you wake me. You are injured, Ichigo, and I'm here to help you. If you cannot control your power then simply let it out, you cannot hurt me. This home is surrounded by a very powerful barrier; no one can sense you here or feel your uncontrolled responses. It's natural for one's reiatsu to fluctuate and intensify as a response to emotions; something you haven't felt completely because you tend to return to your body to seal it off before it can get really overwhelming.' Ruffling warm fingertips through silky soft strands of orange locks, Shunsui smiled softly to himself as his words seemed to have a calming effect on both Ichigo's uncontrolled power and his trembling form. The orangette still seemed fairly out of it though, his mind perhaps not entirely tethered to consciousness as a soft sigh left his parted petal pink lips and his tightened shoulders sagged abruptly. 

'Still...I shouldn't...it should not be this bad. It's never been this bad before. I could always calm it with Zangetsu and―.' Sealing Ichigo's words by pressing a finger across soft lips, the brown haired Shinigami hummed thoughtfully as he shifted back a bit. Soothing the orangette's startled cry when he tenderly pushed trembling shoulders down and guided a warm temple to rest against his thigh, Shunsui returned carding fingertips to messy orange locks softly. Pulling the warm covers over Ichigo's trembling form and resting a supporting hand against his shoulder constantly. The wavy brown haired male sought to establish a constant physical connection between them to reassure the orange haired Substitute Shinigami that he was not alone in the eternal darkness that his world was now bathed in irrevocably. 

'It's alright, Ichi-kun. Listen to me very carefully, okay? It has only been a week since you've been injured, five days since you've woken up to your entire world being changed. No one is going to hold it against you for losing yourself and losing control of your emotions. We're all here to help you; I'm here to help you. You are not alone in this, no matter how long it'll take for you to gain some semblance of control over yourself and adjust to this change. You burden yourself far too much, Ichigo.' Shunsui breathed tenderly. 'This time it's our turn to protect you, don't you think? It's only fair after all.' When the older being received no answer to his words or any formal acknowledgement, Shunsui still kept his fingertips carding through soft orange locks. He said nothing at the feeling of several warm drops of water staining his yukata where Ichigo's was laying against his thigh... 

'Thank you.' Resting his hand against an overly warm forehead, the brown haired Soutaichō saturated the tips of his fingers in Kaidō to chase away the physical pain Ichigo must have been feeling at his stress and pained emotions. It wasn't long after that however, that Shunsui noticed Ichigo's hitched breaths evening out into a much more natural rhythm and he curled closer to the inherent warmth that Shunsui's sitting form presented him with so comfortingly. Leaving the older Shinigami to smile indulgently at the sight; he merely allowed a soft silence to surround them as Ichigo's more controlled reiatsu retreated back into him and finally seemed to settle down into a proper rest. 

'Hush now, Ichigo-kun. Just get some rest, alright? I know that dreams have been unpleasant as of late, but I'll watch over you. I'll wake you if you have another nightmare. Retsu-san will be here again in the morning and you do feel a little warm, so try and get some sleep and just focus on healing right now. No one is going anywhere; no one is going to leave you because of this. We're all here and I'll say it as many times as it takes for you to believe me. You are important to all of us, to me, to Ukitake to everyone here. We'd mourn the day that you decide to give up because it's simply not in your nature.' With that said, Shunsui close his own grey eye absently as he hummed soothingly. He just hoped that those words would be enough to soothe a little of Ichigo's fears because he was feeling their press just as much as Ichigo was. And it was wrenching painfully at the depths of his heart. 

Tomorrow would be another day they could face together and tonight, he'd keep the little orangette company even if it meant he had to lose another night of sleep.


	2. Chapter 1: Dark Moon Stroke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously hope that you enjoy, this chapter may seem a bit unproductive but it’s an exploration of my characters mindsets as I’ve said. Chapter 1 for me usually starts out a little boring. Anyways there are some warnings for this chapter so please heed them now:
> 
> This fic contains a lot of violence, blood, an implied non-con lime between Juha Bach x Kurosaki Ichigo, a Blind!Ichigo and Soutaicho Shunsui! It is a set pairing of Kyōraku Shunsui x Kurosaki Ichigo and Isshin also makes an appearance at the end of the chapter, which will end on a bit of a cliff-hanger as I cannot get anymore out of this fic. I apologize for that.

~~~~ 

Large, fat, drops of rain were falling continuously from a despairingly pregnant sky. Soaking through the flutter of a torn black and white cloak-like kosode in mere seconds; the sun's previously scorching heat was turned icy cold by dark clouds that scattered deeply into the unseen horizon. Unaffected by the strikes of lightning that raced across the ruins of a once vibrant white city; two fiercely clashing figures were abruptly enveloped in an overwhelming explosion of deadly pitch black reiatsu. Taking the form of an exceptionally large crescent moon, the powerful attack raced into the indiscernible distance as the owner's rage and welling hatred seemed to increase its potency and deadly accuracy. Left panting for breath several seconds later though; haunted chocolate brown eyes gazed in absolute disbelief at the unscathed shadow that walked calmly out of the rising smoke, flying concrete and swirling wind his full force Getsuga Tenshō had left in its devastating wake. 

Tanned skin was scored with several deep cuts and bruises from his travels through the Dangai (1*) from Hueco Mundo; his Bankai cloak torn and dishevelled around his form as rivulets of blood now traced a sickening crimson across his exposed torso and dripped down his forehead to flow across dazed eyes constantly. Lighting those vibrantly, powerful orbs in a darker, much more menacing light; messy orange locks adhered irritably to the sticky red liquid as one Kurosaki Ichigo never once allowed himself to drop his strict guard around his new found enemy. In those few moments, where the tipping scales of power in their battle became startlingly obvious, a stubborn Ichigo still refused to give up in this fight when his opponent had just shown his incredible skill in avoiding his attack with the mere flick of a sword tip. But not only that, the man only referred to as 'Heika (2*)' by his blonde haired subordinate, was nearly straining Ichigo's already wavering consciousness with his uncontainable reiatsu that flooded the ruined battleground around them alone. 

'Such a potent slash! You nearly made me draw on my true strength, child. It's just a shame that there's no more left in you. Your Zanpactō is damaged enough with the fracture Haschwalth created in the blade. It'll shatter at the next attack, right?' The dark voice purred mockingly; leaving Ichigo to groan softly in dizzying pain as he struggled to draw a proper breath into his heaving lungs. His vision was already distorting at the injuries he had picked up before this battle, an elegant pitch black daitō raised defensively in front of him, swimming and out of focus, as Ichigo shifted his weight apart into a more solid stance. The man was right, Ichigo thought despairingly. Tensa Zangetsu's blade was strained, already shattered by that blonde haired man earlier when he had first encountered them. But it wouldn't stop him, Byakuya had asked him to protect Soul Society and he was going to protect Soul Society. No matter how painful it would become for him in the end...not with the world so shattered around him already. 

Black gloved fingertips were tightening around Tensa Zangetsu's hilt to hide their subtle tremor; the orange haired Substitute Shinigami struggling to keep his balance in the enemy's mere presence as the tall figure approached him leisurely from the short distance that separated them. With every step that he took closer, Ichigo could feel his heart threatening to burst in his chest with panic. Long dark locks were descending down a strong back in thick waves, weighed down by the heavy torrent of rain now, as menacing dark eyes gazed down at the orangette with a smirking expression that was filled with utter fascination. But that was not what frightened Ichigo; it was something else that he had glimpsed in those unreadable eyes...something indiscernible he had picked up the first time their blades had crossed. The odd 'familiarity' he felt towards this man was making it very hard for him to concentrate on the fight as he truly should be doing―. 

'That's not once, but twice that you've made me use my power to avoid getting hurt, Kurosaki Ichigo.' The King noted darkly, his impressive uniform of white not stained with a single drop of blood despite the orangette that was practically bathed in flowing crimson from his shallow wounds. A fluttering cloak of deep red was spreading around his tall form, phasing out of existence as he flew forward in a blur of inconceivable speed to force an unsuspecting Ichigo to the ground with a single push of his palm. A pained cry was instantly tugged from blood stained lips, brown eyes clenching shut at the force he hit the ground with as dazed orbs eventually snapped open to glare defiantly at his captor that was hovering above him restrictively now. The clatter of Tensa Zangetsu falling into the rubble from his loosened grip, rang deafeningly in Ichigo's ears as he blinked several times the see through the red that was trailing into his eyes. He had not even sensed the man moving, the orangette's entire being shuddering abruptly at the long haired Quincy's reiatsu that forced itself beneath his trembling skin in a dizzying rush.

'S-Shit! Let me go you bastard! LET ME GO, DAMN IT! What the hell do you think YOU are doing! I―!' Ichigo never got any further than that, his protesting words cut off with a pained moan as his head snapped back against the concrete at the humiliating sting an open handed slap seared across his left cheek. His heart was still stuttering achingly in his chest at the painful sensation that potent domineering reiatsu streaked through his very veins; brown eyes stubbornly blinking away the sting of humiliated tears as Ichigo renewed his struggles against the man's surprisingly strong grip. It was impossible! That reiatsu was seeking to deafen him with the roar of his own blood, leaving him shivering simultaneously at the restrictive palm that curled around both his wrists and successfully stopped his movements by pinning them above his head and against the harsh concrete slab he was sprawled upon. Stone was digging painfully into his back, his chest rising and falling with panting breaths as Ichigo attempted to arch away from those hands and dislodge the very real weight that settled across his thighs. 

'Fuck!' 

'Tsk, you should mind your manners, son. You are in my presence after all. I do not want to discipline one of my children more than I have to.' Ichigo instantly froze at those words; his pain hazed mind trying to comprehend their implication and if what he had heard made any form of sense to his mind. He must have heard wrong...perhaps he had a concussion that was worse than he had first thought because Ichigo was sure he was starting to hallucinate some really weird things. That warning however, still didn't stop the orangette from struggling against his captor. He couldn't fight this man on even footing if he was pinned so easily; so he had to break free somehow. But it was getting more and more difficult for him to do so because an unknown fuzziness was starting to descend into the depths of his mind; refusing to allow him to drag himself from the strong presence that was forcing him into the ground against his will. 

He was twisting wildly in his bonds however, his legs kicking out to try and dislodge the form straddling his thighs as if it was nothing more than an arduous chore to keep him immobilized. Ichigo was trying very hard to ignore the rising panic the older man's actions were searing through his very heart and soul. He had never been in a situation like this before, but his mind was already screaming at him that he needed to create more space between them and quickly. He was in imminent danger and he had to get away...get away...get away...never look back... This wasn't a man he could take on his own yet. Ichigo's strength, no matter how vast now...it was not nearly enough to protect them from this―. 

'You have good instincts to fear me, child. But it's too late. You're already caught in my trap.' The dark voice purred dangerously against the shell of an ear, leaving Ichigo to gasp in surprise and jerk his head away when a deadly satisfied gaze entered those previously unreadable dark eyes. The older man's free hand was reaching for his sheathed sword from the peripheries of Ichigo's vision, the orangette steeling himself for what was to come when a touch of heady bloodlust entered those cruel orbs. 'You've already shown me that you've awakened the 'memories' in your blood to protect yourself from my power. Your Blut Vene (3*) is particularly powerful for a gemischt (4*) child, but there are two places on the body the reishi protection can never reach. That's the eyes,' The Quincy King noted almost absently. Forcing Ichigo to flinch internally and still in fright when an icy cold sword tip rested against the skin of his cheek, digging into the skin right below a left eye, the orangette paled considerably when that hand drew back sharply in preparation to strike before it descended in a swift, precise, arc. 

'And the hands.' A ragging howl was instantly dragged from the depths of Ichigo's throat; a shuddering breath of panic tugged into heaving lungs when that deadly sharp tip descended through both of his palms to pin him to the ground irrevocably. The act alone should have been enough to stun Ichigo, his gloved hands struggling uselessly against the steel that had sunk through his flesh as he felt his mind being overwhelmed by the pain and a brush of panic. What was worse however, was that his entire soul was abruptly flooded with the torrential power that was tied to the Quincy King's sword. He was completely numb to it, his awareness sinking into a dark and distant place as an overpowering reiatsu soaked through icy cold veins. A single tear of despair was tracing shamefully down his cheek, Ichigo's entire being saturated with shuddering cold sensations that was spreading slowly through him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move...his limbs falling limp against the concrete as dark spots of black began to dance, unbidden of his permission, before his fading vision. 

Ichigo was panting for breath, shuddering continuously as those hands, fairly tender and almost lover like, came up to swipe away at the trickle of his tears as Ichigo's chest rose and fell unevenly with several groans of pain he could no longer keep back. His heart was racing painfully in his chest, his entire being seeming to separate from his consciousness as no matter how he tried to dislodge the fog descending over him to force his body to obey his will, to move, to do something to protect himself...to protect all the others...Ichigo simply couldn't do it. He couldn't understand it! For a long while now he had felt it. The 'recognition' that the man's presence seared across his very soul. Only now however, did it become overpowering enough to steal even his senses to think straight. 

There was something that tied him to this man, or tied the older man to him but Ichigo couldn't figure out what it was. It was breaking him to pieces now, a slow spread of panic flooding through him as those cruel and nonchalant dark eyes became the focus of his entire world. Leaving Ichigo to jerk instinctively when a calloused forefinger and thumb tipped his chin back so that the orange haired Shinigami could not look away from the deadly smile that was curling across the older man's pale lips, Ichigo whimpered softly in fright. The Quincy King was shifting his weight, kneeling over Ichigo's form with his knees resting on either side of Ichigo's left thigh as he manipulated the orangette's stunned form without him able to fight back or defend himself. No matter how hard Ichigo was protesting on the inside however, everything was becoming heavy and unresponsive. He could barely part his lips to speak... 

'Is it painful, child? Can't you move?' The older being purred gleefully, leaning forward so that their noses were nearly brushing together as Ichigo groaned deeply in distress. Chocolate brown eyes were spitting fire against the new restriction as much as he could but Ichigo couldn't even summon enough breath to spit out his violent retort or curse this man to hell and back. He could just lay there and take it as it came. 'Those are good eyes, Kurosaki Ichigo, but I'd advise you to not keep tempting me to destroy them. I really hate being looked at like that.' Ichigo said nothing to that, not even shuttering his eyes in fear of those words. In fact, his glare only intensified as their eyes collided fiercely. He refused to show his fear, his own weakness now that he found himself in such a difficult position. Inside, however, Ichigo felt helpless...utterly overpowered and completely at the mercy of his enemy. And he hated that feeling. 

He wanted to break free...to destroy this man if it was the last thing he ever did. 

Ichigo...

'No matter how you struggle, how you scream in your mind, Ichigo, you won't be moving until I say you'll be moving. The reiatsu of an echt (5*) Quincy is quite powerful isn't it? Out of all my children; you, who were born in the darkness of this world with the filthiest of blood, has a soul that is purer and more powerful than anything I have seen before. The numb feeling you are getting in my presence, little one, subduing you through my reiatsu alone, proves to me that you know absolutely nothing of the power that flows through your veins. About your own mother, Ichigo. It's such a shame, I would have wanted nothing more than to take you to the Shatten Bereich (6*) to retrain you from the very beginning but unfortunately I'll be running out of time soon―.' The dazed Substitute Shinigami, only having been half aware of the world around him and the words that had been spilling in the air around him, felt something shattering inside of him at the mere mention of his mother. 

All the ragging hatred and anger he had been feeling in this man's presence since before, was welling up in a swell of uncontained emotion as Ichigo tugged a shuddering breath into his straining lungs before his own reiatsu lashed out powerfully around him in a rising potency that couldn't be controlled. Pitch black and deadly powerful, it was swirling around his form, seeping from his very skin as Ichigo watched with no small triumph as those eyes widened at his display of strength before a burning fire of hatred began to saturate his eyes in a golden more instinctual glow. A spread of black was beginning to creep into his eyes, colouring the white of his left eye in a menacing darkness as the numbness previously having sealed his words and protests, snapped unexpectedly as he lurched forward to slam his forehead against another's. Not even flinching as sickening blood spilled into his eyes and a rush of dizziness nearly threw him into unconsciousness, Ichigo defiantly brought up his leg to try and force the older man's form from him. 

'What the FUCK are you talking about?! Blood, Quincies! I DON'T CARE! W-what has my mother got to do with anything! DON'T YOU DARE―!' Ichigo's words trailed off abruptly with a pained cry when a palm suddenly rested across his chest, smearing across the blood that was staining his torso before digging into broken skin unexpectedly. The orangette threw his head back at the unexpected sensation it poured straight into his skin, an overwhelming reiatsu saturating those fingertips and forcing it wildly into his heart with a new and utterly overpowering strength. He was shuddering deeply; the previous numbness he had been feeling, fading away to be replaced by an inherent warmth that was reverberating with every beat of his heart and soul. Spreading almost pleasurably through his veins and forcing a reaction out of him, Ichigo moaned deeply at the unwanted response his mind and body was having to the older being's presence. A dark flush of shame was colouring his bloodied cheeks, his heavy limbs once again falling uselessly against the harsh stone as the burst of power he had dragged from the depths of his soul vanished back into him without a trace. 

~Ichigo-kun...~

'Hn...such strength to defy your creator's will, I'm going to have to make do with shattering your soul and will, I see. You are very stubborn, child, but still so very weak at the same time. You can never face me the way you are now. The constant conflict in your soul, one power trying to suppress the other and succeeding in locking away more than seventy-five percent of it...you are bound to make this far too easy for me.' Ichigo shuddered in trepidation, blinking frantically against the pain that was starting to spread through him from the sword that was thrust through his hands. He was struggling for breath, his mind reeling at those words as the subtle warmth he had felt entering his blood became an overwhelming torrent of uncontained rapture that was both icy cold and scorching hot against his skin. He was now whimpering against the unwanted sensations, his instincts once against screaming at him that he had to get away but he couldn't move. That reiatsu was far more powerful than before, flowing through his limbs as Ichigo felt tears of frustration clinging to his blood stained lashes. His heart was threatening to break as harsh nails scratched against his chest and dragged deliberately against his sensitized flesh before soothing the ache with a gentler touch instead. 

'I'll give you more pleasure than you have ever thought existed, my dark son. And that alone will shatter you. Your shame and humiliation is going to break you after this, Kurosaki Ichigo. Because I can already feel your pleasure in response to my power. I'd say it's only natural that every Quincy has a response to my power like this, because to them it's like returning to the one that created them. It strengthens their power, their will...but for you...it'll break because you have no idea why you are responding to me.' Ichigo flinched internally, chocolate brown eyes clenching shut against the flowing sensations that only seemed to be intensifying with every second that passed. He was breaking, just as the older man had said because Ichigo could feel none of the pain that had numbed him before. It had completely been replaced by pleasure instead and he was afraid of his own responses, he could already feel himself start to respond as a ragged cry of despair spilled past his lips when sly fingertips trailed up the inside of his thigh and parted his legs unwillingly. Tracing the outline of his hardening arousal, the orangette felt his entire world screeching to a halt around him, shattering to pieces as his mind sought to separate itself from the flow of this situation. 

He didn't want this...He didn't want to feel like this, it was...

~Ichigo! Ichigo!~

'NO! S-stop it! P-please! NO! I don't want―!' Ichigo cried despairingly, several tears tracing freely down his cheek as fingertips toyed with the tie in his hakama's white sash before giving a sharp tug. 

~ICHIGO!~

'You can cry and beg all you want, child. No one will come here to help, they're too afraid to step close to this place because I just took out the most powerful man in the Gotei-13.' 

~ICHIGO! DAMN IT! WAKE UP! PLEASE! YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!~

~~~~

A ragging scream of utter terror abruptly died in the wake of a gasping inhalation. Before it could tumble past parted petal lips in a cry of despair, several ragged breaths of sheer panic spilled into the air instead as an orange haired Substitute Shinigami felt his exhausted consciousness snapping back into harsh reality once more. The unwanted, flickering images of what had happened before that man had not only taken his sight but shattered his soul as well, were all dancing behind bound eyelids in utter shame. Leaving Ichigo with a throbbing headache that skittered painfully across his furrowed brow and his own reiatsu flooding the unseen room around him with a push of defensively lashing power; the orange haired teen valiantly attempted to still his frantically beating heart from its panicked state when he slowly became aware of a soothing presence that was pressing inherently close to him now. Bowing around his form and enveloping him in a comfort Ichigo had not allowed himself to feel for a long time, the orangette could sense his entire consciousness beginning to centre around the warmth that was spreading around him so irrevocably. 

There were tender, cool, fingertips curling around his shoulder to keep him steady; another palm resting against his forehead soothingly when several coughs of strain forced itself from struggling lungs and Ichigo leaned more fully against a warm, silk clad thigh to burn into his skin the feel of soft flowing material that was resting against a fever flushed cheek. Completely surrounding him in a gentle reiatsu and calming sensations that were very different from the Quincy King's that had created this anxiety within him in the first place, Ichigo still couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach at the lingering dregs of memory that were saturating the depths of his mind. He was shuddering at the ghostly touches he could feel tracing sickeningly across his flesh, forcing his pleasure out of him against his will as bile rose in his throat despite Ichigo's immense self control that was managing to keep him from losing his mind. It was difficult enough not to confuse the very recognizable presence of Kyōraku Shunsui with that man's in Ichigo's panic hazed mind, but for some reason, the orange haired Shinigami found himself not reacting so violently to the Hachibantai-Taichō's presence as he did to the all others that had tried to come close when he had awoken from his ordeal several days ago. 

In fact, Kyōraku Shunsui seemed to be the only person that Ichigo's power would allow this close to him without lashing out defensively in fear to protect himself. And with Zangetsu shattered in his Bankai state during a last attempt to destroy the Quincy King after he had taken Ichigo's sight; the orangette's unleashed reiatsu now had nowhere to go to seal itself off like it usually did. Instead, it left him struggling to control his uncontained anxiety and utter fear that plagued him incessantly whenever he was awake to be bathed in a world that was only coloured by the eternal darkness that his sense crippling injury created. The short periods of time that Ichigo managed to stay conscious without the influence of Unohana-san's medicines or the overwhelming press of his own exhaustion dragging him into an oblivion of terror, it felt like he was trapped in an all consuming nightmare where the last thing he had ever seen was seared into the back of his eyelids for eternity...and it would never again leave him in peace as it sunk into his every conscious thought irrevocably... 

It's such a shame that I'll have to punish you for that. You really do have very beautiful eyes, Ichigo... 

A bandaged hand instantly shot up in distress, pressing over his left ear haphazardly where those resounding words sunk through the barrier of self-control Ichigo had constructed around his heart and he was inadvertently left gasping uselessly through the climbing panic they constructed. He could remember every single second vividly; burning the words and images into his hazed thoughts as the orangette felt his stomach twisting itself into knots at the mere reminder of what had happened. That deadly, cruel, smirk that had tugged at pale, chapped, lips; the taste of his own blood flooding his mouth, the flick of a dark sword dragging swiftly across his temples and eyes before everything had gone as black as the night and Ichigo's entire world had become bathed in an excruciating pain of all consuming fear that could never again be lifted... All of it now suspended him in what felt like the eternal play of the technique Ichigo had used against Aizen two years ago. 

Only this time; Mugetsu was turned upon himself and the moonless sky of the Saigo no Getsuga would never again fade away from around him. It was an utterly hellish nightmare, threatening to break him into more pieces than he already was as the only reprieve Ichigo ever seemed to find these days, was in the tender kindness of the man that was holding onto him so reassuringly now. He could feel Shunsui shifting above him; pulling an injured hand away from Ichigo's ear before laying it against the soft sheets as the resounding breath of an exasperated sigh tickled the top of an orange head thoughtfully. Infinitely warm and soft locks were tumbling over the older man's shoulder to pass across Ichigo's cheek, the brown haired Shinigami's steady hand keeping Ichigo from moving too quickly the instant that the orangette tried to push himself to sit up to better draw a breath into his struggling lungs and his distorted senses attempted to find the lay of his surroundings. 

'I'm s-sorry! I didn't...' A stuttering apology which quickly spilled forth from Ichigo's lips, barely concealed the whimper that was part of his words before the spiky orange haired Shinigami twisted his bandaged palms in the soft comforter that was settled around his trembling form as a way to ground himself. He didn't even know what he was apologizing for! Was it for his own weakness? Or for allowing that man to bring this plane into the ruins it was now? Or was for his own stupidity? It was impossible, Ichigo mourned deeply. Everything stretched into a vast oblivion of darkness around him now, his hearing not even able to pick up anything but the rush of his own panicked breaths as the orange haired teen felt impossibly alone in a sinking blackness that was almost succeeding in drowning him with despair. There was a soft palm rubbing across his back to settle his fears though, seeming to know that Ichigo needed another being to tie him to this plane as warm fingertips trailed through his hair soothingly and slowly but surely offered the young orangette enough strength to drag himself from the deep terror that had encircled his entire soul so completely in the last few seconds. 

He was still trembling in shock however, feeling a scorching heat streak across his forehead in a growing fever that was only intensifying his pounding headache more than before. But in the distance of all these sensations, some more overwhelming than others, Ichigo could hear the tender lilt of a deep baritone speaking to him softly. Calling out to him and keeping him tethered to reality; Shunsui somehow managed to establish a connection to Ichigo's fading awareness to keep him remarkably calm for his panicked state. The only problem the orangette found, was getting his mind to make sense of the words that were being spoken as an overwhelmingly powerful but familiar reiatsu washed over his form continuously. There was also a tender palm resting against the back of his neck in support, rubbing the skin there with calloused fingertips as Ichigo simply allowed himself to be taken away by the affectionate sensations. The power that had been spilling around him erratically, flowed much more freely and evenly the moment that the orangette let go of his internal anguish with a ragged gasp of pain. 

'Ichigo-kun! You really need to calm down, please.' A soothing baritone breathed from somewhere behind him in concern. 'I know that it’s very difficult to do so at the moment but I need you to pull your reiatsu back into your core. You're going to exhaust yourself if you keep this up. You've blacked out this entire room and the Kaidō barrier is starting to strain under it. I don't think Unohana-Taichō will be very happy with me if I worked you into such a state that you destroyed all her hard work in setting up this room for your recovery.' The words that were spoken almost in a playful, scolding tone; served as a gentle coax to recall his uncontrolled reiatsu from around him as Ichigo breathed shakily in return. Warm fingertips were reaching upwards to card through messy orange locks, offering him a moment of reprieve as Ichigo nodded dazedly in agreement. Perhaps if he had enough breath to spare, he would have chuckled at the man's ability to take the blame for his own uncontrolled responses but Ichigo didn't. So instead, he searched for a catalyst to concentrate on before reaching towards his wildly fluctuating reiatsu to seal it into himself. 

He quickly found it, though, in Shunsui that was kneeling by his side. The warmth of another body that was pressing against Ichigo's shoulder, acted as the distraction he needed when a warm palm rested over one of his hands and the orangette gradually began to drag his responding power back into himself that was spread so vastly into the unseen room around him. He was once more sitting up in his futon, instinctively bent forward with his head down turned under the press of pain that was building across his injured eyes as Ichigo found his clarity of mind snapping into more manageable levels. His fingertips were trembling under the strain it took to keep himself balanced, white bandages pulling tight across the still healing wounds when he tilted his head slightly to follow the rustle of the newly instated Soutaichō's clothes when the older Shinigami moved behind him. There was a soft lilt in that rumbling baritone as it washed over him now, praising him when Ichigo successfully forced himself into a more calm state as it became like cool water pouring over the orangette's fevered form. 

He was shuddering softly under the sensations of the man's constant presence, all leaving Ichigo reeling at their close but comforting proximity―. 

How long had he been asleep this time without being awoken by that horrifying memory? Ichigo could vaguely remember that Shunsui had come to him earlier as well; when he had woken himself with his own screams and most likely Shunsui as well. The dark brown haired Shinigami had then promised to wake him should he experience another and Ichigo was eternally grateful that he had kept his promise to the letter. Shunsui had awoken him just in time, leaving the orangette in a less panicked state than he could have been had he not snapped back into consciousness before the worst of the memory could have started. It was something that Ichigo thanked the older man for now, leaving the teen just a little puzzled over his own reaction to Shunsui's presence that was so close to him. It was a small wonder that he had not snapped completely, Ichigo thought absently. Especially because of the brown haired man's impressively controlled reiatsu that was just as vast and overwhelming as the Quincy King's had been. 

It was not something which Ichigo could understand himself but he was fairly appreciative for the older Shinigami's constant presence beside him, because he somehow managed to keep Ichigo's consciousness from sinking into the utter darkness that his new found world threw up around him constantly. Especially with the comfort he seemed to offer so readily, even when Ichigo was still very reluctant to accept it into himself so quickly. This was a side of Kyōraku Shunsui the orangette had not yet seen before, the very serious but still eternally gentle side that constantly sought to soothe away Ichigo's panic as if it was his sworn duty to provide him comfort and protection when Ichigo himself felt nothing more than a burden to the older man and the rest of Soul Society. All he could do was curse himself for this because on some level what had happened, had been his fault. If only he could have been stronger, could have known that he would be―. 

'Ichigo-kun? Oi, Ichigo! Where are you drifting off to? You're about to fall over!' Shunsui cried in exasperated concern. Startling the messy orange haired Shinigami from his inconsistent thoughts when he felt an arm hooking around his, Shunsui took Ichigo's weight more supportively as cool fingertips brushed messy orange locks away from his sticky forehead and a calloused palm rested there for several long seconds instead. Still feeling a little out of it and dizzy with the pain that was searing across his bound eyes now, Ichigo breathed shakily as he allowed his fingertips to curl in the soft sheets of his futon and he leaned away from the older man's grip when he had found his fading balance. He could smell the blood that was permeating the air headily, scrambling his senses when he realized that it was probably coming from him. Ichigo could feel it sticking the bandages to his still healing wounds, where every shift of his head spread a new and alarming numbness across his cotton hazed thoughts. 

'S-Shunsui-san? I-I think there's something―.' 

'Hmm, I see. You're very warm, a lot warmer than you were a few hours ago. Retsu left some medication here with me if you got like this, I think she said it was something to do with your body rejecting the reiatsu that's buried in the wounds.' The older man noted concernedly. Forcing the orange haired Substitute Shinigami to drag in a startled breath when the presence that had been close to him for the last few hours and tethering him to reality so irrevocably, suddenly shifted away from his side and stood in a rustle of silky cloth and steady footsteps. In that single instant, Ichigo felt his entire world narrowing in on him in a claustrophobic rush as the Soutaichō's presence started to draw further away from him than Ichigo could perceive. Creating a new rush of panic that entered trembling limbs, Ichigo was left shuddering when a crushing force of utter loneliness sought to overwhelm him wholly. It now raced heatedly through his blood, intensifying the fear he had been struggling with for a while now as it sunk into the very depths of his soul without restraint. 

'I'll just go get it for you, it's just in my room. Do you think you'll be okay by yourself for a few minutes whilst I get some water and washcloth?' Petal pink lips instantly parted in a rush, seeking to scream 'no' but instead Ichigo caught himself just before the words could tumble past his lips in a panic. He didn't need to be overwhelmed by his own fears so much anymore, or to keep depending on others when it was clear his presence here was becoming a burden to everyone. So instead, Ichigo nodded softly in consent. His head was turned down however, messy orange locks descending in shadow across bandaged eyes as blunt fingernails dug deeply into the skin of his palms to still his climbing fear when assured footsteps retreated and the shoji doors shut behind Shunsui's presence with a hallow clack of finality. Sealing up the intricate Kaidō barrier set around the room and Ichigo himself in a whole new world of rising anxiety, the orangette soon found himself struggling to breathe normally in a situation that was very hard to grasp onto. 

He knew that he had just blatantly lied to himself and Shunsui because Ichigo would be far from alright for the next few minutes by himself. This would be the first time, in the short periods where he felt lucid enough and awake to perceive reality, that he would be without someone close enough to sense their reiatsu or sitting in the room with him since the four days he had awoken from his fight against the Quincy King, Juha Bach. The orange haired Shinigami didn't think he could keep himself back from the utter panic that was swimming through his veins anymore, it was difficult enough not letting go of the thrumming reiatsu that was singing restlessly beneath his skin. Where it was just waiting to explode out of him in a rush as Ichigo desperately searched for something familiar that could possibly offer him a life-line to the overpowering darkness that was pressing down upon his form from all sides. 

It was fairly understandable though, that the orangette found his small reprieve in his now silent, shattered Zanpactō. The broken black form that had been placed on the right side of his futon was calling out to him as searching fingertips, reaching out beyond the small space of his bed tentatively; desperately curled around the open blade of the one thing in this room that wasn't so indiscernible and distant as his own thoughts and existence seemed to become. The tinkling of a chain was the first indication that he had reached Zangetsu's shattered form before Ichigo decided to drag the pitch black daitō towards him and completely disregarded the warnings Ukitake-Taichō had given him that he may hurt himself because he couldn't see what he was doing anymore. At that moment in time, Ichigo simply didn't care anymore. Not with his breaths hitching painfully in his chest and his reiatsu becoming an unbearable torrent that could not be kept locked within himself. 

He needed something to tie him to his consciousness, to chase away the pain brewing across his entire form as the slide of slick blood dripped from his fingertips and onto the white comforter below. Unseen and unfelt by Ichigo himself; everything became centred around his stretching awareness that was searching for Shunsui's reiatsu and reaching out to the soul that should be present in the broken blade that was gripped harshly by his injured hands. Ichigo instinctively drew his legs closer to his body though, his forehead falling against his knees as he gasped for a proper breath when absolutely nothing came back to him. It was utterly sorrowful...the silent blade that he somehow managed to grip around the hilt after some uncertain, clumsy fumbling. It didn't feel right to him anymore as Zangetsu's broken tip pressed against the sheets now and laid against his side by accident. 

There had to be something in the blade that he could draw on! But no matter how he searched, how he reached out...there was absolutely nothing. And the small realization scraped painfully at Ichigo's soul because this was also one of his biggest failures. He had hoped that he could mend Zangetsu somehow but when he had asked about it in a rare moment of rational thought, Shunsui had sadly told him that he should concentrate on healing up first before they would contact the Zanpactō forger. Who the Zanpactō forger was, Ichigo didn't know but he couldn't very well argue the brown haired Soutaichō's point when he himself could barely breathe after being left by himself for a single moment. It was impossible! What was to come, the utter loneliness he felt and the demons brewing in the depths of his soul...he didn't know how much more he could take and without his soul companion by his side, no longer answering his calls, Ichigo really was in a dark nightmare that would never dissipate from around his form. 

Unbeknownst to Ichigo, though, the gentle call of rain was spreading through the depths of Seireitei. The eerily overcast, morning light creeping in from an open window where it ignited across his tanned skin in a tender brush, shimmering across a white yukata clad form as bloody crimson drops dripped in a steady stream from a cut on his right hand that he himself had not even felt Zangetsu make through the turmoil of his rushing thoughts. As the orangette tried his best to gather himself to face another day, there was absolutely no catalyst to calm his soul that morning or to provide a focal point in the darkness that descended down upon him from all sides... Ichigo was struggling internally and externally to find the hope to overcome both his injuries and the newly grown fear that had saturated the depths of his very soul at the hands of a cruel man and the sheer heartbreak at the loss of his own strength and usually unbreakable will. 

Was this ever something he would overcome? Or was this but a dull hope that Shunsui and the others fed him?

~~~~ 

At the same time; several miles away with the muffled morning light indicating the rise of the sun over Seireitei's overcast plane, a single shadow stood solitary frozen in the early morning sky outside of the Juubantai division as if the air was solid beneath waraji clad feet. A tall frame, dressed in a flowing black shihakushō that was tugged whimsically by the harsh wind and the white fabric of a ragged haori bound to his left arm, the shadowed being shifted restlessly as a hollow clack resounded throughout the morning sky from the official Shiba family Senkaimon slamming shut behind him. The hell butterfly that had guided him here, disappeared into the distance seconds later as Kurosaki Isshin erected a strong barrier around his form to conceal his overwhelmingly powerful reiatsu before the few guards the Gotei-13 could spare after the destruction of their city, noticed his rising presence and took his appearance here as another invasion to overthrow them completely. 

Even when that was furthest thing from his mind or what he had come to do here in reality...

Large, tanned fingertips cautiously rested upon the red hilt of a bulky katana that was strapped to his hakama's sash by a winding blue string. Allowing concerned chocolate brown eyes to scan the distorted horizon critically, Isshin paid little attention to the two blue tassels, connected to the pommel of his sealed Zanpactō, that danced restlessly in the wind the more unsettled his emotions seemed to became within him. Stretching out his immense awareness to encircle the entirety of Seireitei in search of one familiar flicker of power that he could already sense easily, Kurosaki Isshin used high level shunpo to propel himself into the depths of the city once he recognized the overwhelming pressure that that single, unsettled reiatsu spread across a startling focal point in Seireitei. It was still a mystery to the older being what Ichigo would be doing there, but the concerned father simply didn't have enough time to solve the unsolvable at the moment. 

He was hidden well by the shadows of the clouds as he moved forward in a blur of incredible speed; the spiky black haired male never once looking back as a crack of deafening thunder echoed abruptly into the distance the instant that a torrent of heavy rain fell from the pregnant black clouds in a rush. Soaking through his clothes and spreading icily across his skin in mere minutes, there was still not a single obstacle that existed which could stop him from completing his current task. It was odd for it to rain in Seireitei, he thought absently. Even odder for the entire city to be left in such ruins unless his son had something do with the rampage himself or the Soutaichō had been angered enough to release his own deadly Bankai. Both, he had been assured, had already happened and so far it did not look good to his sharp brown eyes. There were several distinct battlefields he could mark by reiatsu alone, Ichigo's and that man's was the most prominent he could sense as he desperately tried not to lose himself in the panic and fear he had felt when Urahara had contacted him that morning. 

The damage and destruction that had rent asunder the world he too had belonged to over twenty years ago did not matter anymore, the untainted despair he could feel flowing into the air from the wounded and mourning were of little consequence to his mind even as he spared a single passing thought to their suffering. Concern for those things, he was sure, could come later with time. He had only come here for one thing after all, and by rain or snow he was going to find his flesh and blood before things could get much worse than what was suspected of Ichigo's current condition already. There wasn't time to waste on his part, not when the words Urahara had spoken so sombrely in his call earlier, rung so deafeningly and achingly painful through his very soul. Over and over again he could hear them; chasing up both his racing heart and his inherent speed through the city's ruined remains where the echo of Ichigo's reiatsu was the only beacon his entire being needed to focus singularly upon. 

'I don't know how to tell you this, Isshin, but he fell in his fight against Juha Bach.' Urahara had noted despairingly a mere hour ago. 'Mayuri is refusing to tell me what happened except that Ichigo was injured quite severely and would be off duty for a very long time. Shunsui is unreachable and all other captains are refusing to say what happened. Yoruichi went ahead but I've heard nothing from her. They seemed much more concerned with the Soutaichō's death than anything else and the―.' The blonde haired scientist had gotten no further than that, Isshin having hung up abruptly before he had stormed down the Urahara Shoten without his gigai without a second thought or a second to spare. Of course they would be more concerned with the old man's death, Isshin thought bitterly. Ichigo was merely a Substitute Shinigami to them. No matter how adored he was or how powerful, he was not the entire foundation that the Gotei-13 had been built upon in the first place. 

But to him, Ichigo was his most precious and irreplaceable son! Those words had been more than enough to get him to return to this place...to dare the consequences his leaving twenty years ago were sure to have created by now. It was what lead him forward now into the darkness without looking back, his son's hidden reiatsu his only guide as he continued onwards. Someone had hidden Ichigo behind a very powerful barrier, the location of which he knew intimately as the official home of the Soutaichō but why Ichigo would be there and not in the Yonbantai Division if he had been injured as severely as they said, was very puzzling to the former captain. Agh! But did it really matter that much? He could find out everything later, first he had to make sure that Ichigo was alright. That was all that he wanted and needed at that moment in time. Nothing more and nothing less. 

It wasn't even a few minutes later before waraji clad feet stilled midair outside a large traditional Japanese mansion that was situated a few kilometres away from the Ichibantai offices. Tentative fingertips cautiously rested against the invisible barrier that was drawn across the state home for protection as Isshin allowed his senses to scan the reiatsu he could detect on the other side of the intricate weave of kido. It was meant to lock out even the toughest opponents, scramble their senses in reading the one's present on the inside of it but Isshin wasn't an average Shinigami or even an interloper in Soul Society. He had grown up here, visited this place specifically many times as both the Head of the Shiba family and the Juubantai Taichō. Overriding something like this was fairly easy for him, despite the flashy display of overwhelming power it would take on his part. Barriers like these only ever gave way when forced or the owner of the home allowed them access. 

He only had one option though, however. Forcing it was going to take a lot more power than he would have like to display at his arrival, but he had no choice. Explanations could come later, concern could come later...he only needed to reach Ichigo in that moment in time before the drama could really start. Something he was not looking forward to himself but he would endure it if it gave him a scant few seconds to make sure his son's injuries were not fatal or that he had lost his first born child to the hands of a man that should have no business being unsealed from the eternal sleep he had been cast into in the first place. Without a split second of thought later, Isshin drew Engetsu and raised the blade in front of him decisively. The barrier he had kept around his form also fell away as he dragged a single breath into his lungs before reaching for the depths of his power. 

'Moero, Engetsu (7*)!' He called out commandingly, a blinding flash of blue light encircling his blade, trailing in a perfect circle around his form protectively as the two blue tassels at the end of his hilt also became engulfed in a long stream of reiatsu that danced in the wind before he brought the blade down in a single, double handed slash. The repelling green flash from the barrier seemed to shimmer like water, straining under his rising reiatsu as Isshin dragged a large amount of his own reiatsu into the tip of his blade before a very familiar call rang out into the morning sky to announce the appearance of his arrival and the incredible power that Ichigo had inherited from him... Something he was sure many people would be surprised to find or kick themselves for not having figured it out sooner. 

But more than that...it was just enough to shatter the barrier keeping him locked outside and to bathe his form in the overwhelming response of Ichigo's own reiatsu pressing against his actively...

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1* - Dangai – Severed World   
> 2* - Heika – Your Majesty  
> 3* - Blut Vene – Blood Defence is a technique the Quincies use to strengthen their bodies against injury.   
> 4*- Gemischt – Mixed Blood (Impure Quincies)  
> 5* - Echt – Pureblood  
> 6* - Shatten Bereich – Shadow Territory   
> 7*- Moero Engetsu – Burn, Engetsu
> 
> Alright, that’s all my notes. I don’t think I missed anything but other than that, I thank you for reading, I really appreciate it. I hope that you enjoyed and that you look forward to the next chapter, which may take a while to post because I have so much to do. I’d be very happy if I could receive a little review for my hard work. 
> 
> Otherwise, I’m going to go now, I’m about to pass out and there’s still so much to do.


	3. Chapter 2: Nothing But The Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I’m a bit early with this one but I’ve been forced to cut out a main part of this chapter because I was running out of space and couldn’t fit everything in. Please do not despair though, it will simply be falling over into the next chapter. I just needed to create an opportunity for a time-skip that will come next chapter and keep this story flowing in the pace that I want it to. It seems a bit slow now but it will be picking up pace next chapter. 
> 
> I’m still establishing the characters will all their back stories.
> 
> For this chapter, there will be many spoilers at the end for the newer parts of Bleach. So the only warning that I can really think of now is spoilers: This story contains spoilers for Chapter 565 and how Juha Bach’s power works. Also I’m twisting this story into something that I’ve not tried before so I ask that you please bear with me. I enjoyed writing this chapter probably far too much.
> 
> Other than that, please enjoy. The next chapter is going to be very busy so please excuse the slow pace of this story. But I don’t want to overwhelm this story with too much information at the moment, it’s going to throw off the flow that I’ve managed to create. Also the next chapter will be explaining why Ichigo is so attached to Shunsui. 
> 
> For now though, I’ll see you at the end of the chapter:

'Really now, Ichigo! I cannot take my eyes off of you for a second!' Flinching violently at the deep and utterly unexpected baritone that sounded through the air, Kurosaki Ichigo cried out in startled fear when a soothing flood of powerful reiatsu suddenly ignited into the unknown distance around him and quiet but steady footsteps trekked closer to his side in a cautious pace. 'Such a careless child, hurting yourself on your Zanpactō whilst I leave you alone for a few minutes. Are you alright, Ichigo-kun?' Kyōraku Shunsui breathed softly in concern; the sound of his voice providing an unexpected catalyst to the flow of reality as the injured Substitute Shinigami raised his head from where it had been resting against his knees in a defensively curled position. Tensa Zangetsu's shattered blade was still clutched protectively in a trembling hand; a small frown furrowing beneath the restrictive bandages that were bound across blind eyes before Ichigo shuddered deeply at the heat of another body that came to kneel close to his side. 

'S-Shunsui-san...S-Shun-sui...' Ichigo called with increasing difficulty, jerking his hand back in fright when warm fingertips he could not see, sought to uncurl his grip from Zangetsu's hilt without his consent. The haunting sound of a tinkling chain echoing inside his ears was the only thing that Ichigo could hear besides his own rasping breaths that were stuttering painfully and rapidly against his chest with every uncontrolled inhalation. But as he tried desperately not to think of the pathetic whimpers that were falling from parted petal pink lips, he found his heart beating an increasingly erratic rhythm within his chest. 'What's wrong little Strawberry Substitute (1*)? You were fine five minutes ago. Did something happen? Does your head still hurt, Ichigo?' Leaning away uncertainly from the tender touch that brushed sticky orange strands from his forehead; the younger of the two trembled pathetically at the new awareness an aching cut had drawn across the visible skin of his bandaged right hand. A slow slide of sickeningly warm droplets, icy cold and heavy against his skin, could not be mistaken as anything but blood as they traced the tips of his fingers in a startling caress now. 

The mere sensation of their presence however, was enough to create a startling reality that was sinking into the depths of a panicked soul with dizzying swirls of confused despondency. 

'I-I...I...c-can't h-hear him...' Ichigo whispered despairingly. 'I-I...I...I c-can't hear Z-Zangetsu!' He howled in pained anguish; repeating the same phrase over and over again untill bloodied fingertips scrambled blindly to find the broken blade that tumbled from his uncertain grasp several seconds later. The orange haired teen's head was pounding with unrestrained pain; the unrest present in his body searing burningly across his forehead in tandem to every beat of his heart as he remained only vaguely aware of shifting fabric and the sound of a tinkling chain growing further away from the scope of his senses. The small action that took his shattered Bankai blade away from his side, even though Ichigo knew that it was meant to protect him, prompted several sobs of distress to lodge themselves in the back of his throat. He was already trembling and quivering with a new and utterly devastating sense of loss. His mind screaming at him that he had to get him back! He simply couldn't understand why Zangetsu wouldn't answer him anymore!

And when the tears which Ichigo could not hold back, fell from the corner of injured eyes only to be absorbed into blood stained bandages, they burned painfully across his wounds in untainted anguish. They were aggravating devastatingly injured orbs all the further, chasing a struggling mind into a dark oblivion of dizziness with every hitched breath that was spilling passed the seventeen-year-old's lips. It wasn't until an overwhelming flood of powerful reiatsu pressed against his forehead with a calloused palm that Ichigo lost himself to something that could not be contained and was stealing the last strands of sanity from his wavering mind. Wiping away droplets of sweat that were adhering to his temples in strain; a soothing baritone whispered small comforts against the shell of his ear as Shunsui attempted to ground the teen against his panic. But it wasn't working very well...Ichigo could no longer even fight against the sensations that were overwhelming him so wholly. 

Strong hands instantly captured his swaying form though; his entire body vibrating with tension as bloodied fingertips, the only part of him that was still listening to his mind, twisted desperately in a silky soft material that was directly in front of him. The tip of his nose instantly collided with a strong chest, burning into his mind an addictive scent Ichigo had only now started to take note of as a warm chin came to rest against the top of his head. 'Hush, little Strawberry Substitute. I know that you are in pain right now and that it is very difficult to find yourself but you have to calm down! Slow yours breaths, Ichi-chan. Hyperventilating is only going to worsen your state.' Even when spoken with such lilting concern, the dazed orangette was hardly able make sense of those words. His mind was slowly separating itself from his body in a detached sense as he tentatively brought his hands upwards to feel out the enveloping presence that was curled so protectively around him. Grasping long and infinitely soft locks in between numb fingers, the orange haired teen allowed himself to be uncurled from his protective ball with firm but gentle hands before soothing palms came to rest against his shoulders in a steady grip.

'I'm right here with you, Ichigo-kun. I'm not going anywhere. Just try to match your breaths to mine and lean back against me.' When a haunting warmth abruptly wrapped around him from behind with a strong chest pressing against his back; Ichigo felt his head spinning at the movement his guardian had taken as he was now cautiously settled between two strong thighs and a scruffy, bearded, cheek brushed against his own. Shunsui was unconsciously enveloping Ichigo in an intimate and all encompassing embrace the teen had not allowed himself to feel for many years. The new position granting Ichigo the ability to sense every breath rising and falling in the older Shinigami's chest. Following a soothing, slower and more calm rhythm that he could match his own to; Ichigo shivered softly at the rushing exhalations that were shifting through messy orange strands with every drawn out whisper of cool air. Warm arms were loosely curling around his waist though, guiding him to lean his head back against a steady shoulder as the orangette began to match his struggling inhalations to the lazy, long and deep breaths that Shunsui was taking. 

There were small murmurs of distress still spilling past petal pink lips every few seconds, tainting the air with needy and pathetic sounds that Ichigo hated more than anything. But they seemed to becoming less and less the more that he yielded his entire soul to the simple task of slowing his rapid breaths and bringing himself back into a more coherent state. He was tentatively pushing his own wavering reiatsu back against a more powerful one, though; struggling to reel in his power's fluctuating presence when a palm suddenly came to rest over his heart. Igniting a flood of controlled reiatsu into his veins, Ichigo felt his rapid heartbeat soon settling into a more natural rhythm as the Soutaichō weeded out his panic and somehow managed to still his trembling limbs. The physical and emotional strain however, was starting to show now. Ichigo tugging his bottom lip between his teeth as he desperately tried to place a little distance between their closely entwined forms. Within his muddled and panic driven thoughts, the older Shinigami's close presence was starting to remind him of what had happened in his fight with Juha Bach too much and it was something that―. 

'Just breathe, Ichigo-kun, and do not be frightened. Zangetsu is still here.' Shunsui noted soothingly, a single finger pressing against Ichigo's heart to drive home his point as warm fingertips distracted the seventeen-year-old from his blackening thoughts by carding through spiky, messy orange locks. 'A Zanpactō does not fall silent. Once it has been awakened, it simply can't. It is a fundamental part of your soul as a Shinigami. He is your power, Ichigo-kun, and you are irrevocably his Master. Whether he is shattered or not, makes no difference. He'll always be within you. The fact that you are capable of producing such alarming amounts of reiatsu that is visible to me in both light blue and pitch black at times, means that the core of your power is still as frighteningly powerful as ever. Zangetsu-san can be re-forged with an Asuachi again. We'll just have to wait a while until you can adjust to this injury and the Zero Division decide to make an appearance.' Even though Ichigo was struggling through the last motions of finding himself again, he was alert enough to take comfort from those words as he latched onto the distraction a simple conversation could provide. 

'Z-Zero Division?' He asked dazedly, rolling his head back against a steady shoulder as he moaned softly at the dull headache that was still throbbing painfully against his temples. The one thing that the older Shinigami had not yet been able to soothe away. 'Ah, the Reiou's Five Guards. I keep forgetting that you don't know much about this world. They should be arriving soon to help rebuild Seireitei, even though that is not their job. Dealing with them is a little difficult but you'll be meeting them soon. There is only one man that can re-forge a Bankai blade after all, and that's the man the invented Zanpactō. But that's a history lesson for another day when you're better.' As the soft explanation came to a halt, Ichigo could only shiver at the loss when warm arms uncurled from around his waist and the soft shifting of cloth indicated that Shunsui was doing something behind him he could not grasp. 'Do you think you can drink Retsu-san's medicine? I can feel the heat of your fever even through my yukata, Strawberry Substitute-chan, and that is not a good thing.' 

Nodding uncertainly at the words, the younger of two forced himself to sit up a little straighter just as his right hand was lead to curl around a warm cup. There was a deep frown furrowing tangerine brows though, the orangette a bit put out with the playful name the older man had chosen for him before he was forced to cry out when a calming warmth suddenly moved away from behind him and left him alone. Not quite understanding the deep disappointment he was feeling at the loss, Ichigo soon breathed a sigh of relief when the soothing presence settled down next to his futon instead and the sound of droplets falling into a liquid echoed loudly in his ears. It wasn't even seconds later until Ichigo realized the significance of the sound when a cool washcloth pressed gently against his forehead. Jerking in surprise because he had not been expecting its touch; Ichigo abruptly hissed in pain as a trickle of warm tea fell over his fingertips at his careless shifting. 

He decided not to bring any attention to his clumsy action however, merely leaning into the soothing coolness that swiped beads of sweat from brow and captured droplets that were trailing sickeningly down his temples. Finishing off a cup of tea that was startlingly bitter with the taste of medicine, was a greater challenge than Ichigo first thought it would be. Especially when it took him a while to find his uncertain movements without the older Shinigami guiding or helping him. The small triumph of independence though, was heady enough all on its own. A small reassurance that Ichigo could still do some things on his own. But just as he was about to reach the end of his task, a sudden and overwhelming explosion of reiatsu rocked through the entirety of the Soutaichō's traditional mansion. It was so powerful and unexpected that Ichigo's world deteriorated into a blur of sensations and sounds within seconds. Leaving his mind reeling at the implications of its touch; the only thing that Ichigo could now make out was Shunsui's distinctive voice cursing loudly above him. 

All traces of the older Shinigami's soothing or playful voice was gone; the traditional cup ripped from Ichigo's fingers before he could drop it as the world shifted and spun around him when he was forced onto his back so that a body could shield him from above. Ichigo could feel infinitely soft strands of long hair brushing against his cheeks with detached sensation; his heart pounding loudly and incessantly in his ears as his mind raced through the events that had just happened. He was desperately trying to reorient himself in the confusion that was enveloping him so completely from all sides. A shuddering cry of fear was spilling from his lips in a chocked scream, fingertips gripping soft fabric of Shunsui's clothes frantically as a powerful burst of Ichigo's reiatsu suddenly exploded from his skin in a dizzying rush. His mind was spinning in circles, the sheer panic he had just managed to get under control restlessly pressing against his skin once more before he could even grasp onto the last of his coherency. 

'Shunsui! T-that's―!'

'Will this madness never end? Could they really not have chosen to attack another day?' Balking in fright at the implications of Shunsui's softly whispered words, the orangette felt his entire world thrown into utter chaos seconds later. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he recognized the powerful reiatsu that was now much clearer to his senses when it moved towards them with startling speed. 'Are you alright, Ichigo-kun?' Struggling to find his breath through his surprise, Ichigo barely managed to hold his increasing panic back when he forced a nod and cried out when the warmth that had been settled above him suddenly drew away to stand. 'I want you to stay still, Ichigo. I don't know how they broke through the barrier since Nanao-chan's been playing with its makeup to keep the Quincies out these last few days. But you should be safe until Jyuushiro can reach you. I―.' Shunsui suddenly trailed off in surprise as Ichigo shakily pushed himself onto his elbows and attempted to stand as well. He was pushed back against the sheets harshly though, his reiatsu reaching out in response to the attacker's as the orange haired being felt his breath hitching painfully in his chest. 

'M-matte (2*) Shunsui-san!' Ichigo yelled loudly, forcing himself onto his feet once the older being's steps drew away from his side before he abruptly fell against a strong chest that stepped closer to catch his wavering balance. 'T-that's―.'

'No! You are in no shape to even be standing! I'll not let you―.' Ichigo suddenly felt an explosion of rage flowing across his skin as he pushed himself against Shunsui's supporting form and dug his fingertips painfully into steady shoulders that were taller than him. 'I FUCKING KNOW THAT, DAMN IT! I'M USELESS LIKE THIS! BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!' Ichigo yelled in uncontained fury, adrenalin fuelling his movements as he stubbornly urged himself to stand on his own two feet without support and took several small steps away from the older being so that he could try to conceal his trembling shoulders. He was angrily fighting the arms that were curling around his waist, guiding him back against the futon as he drew a heaving breath into his lungs when Shunsui stayed fairly close after hearing his words. 'Please just listen to me! I-I know that I can barely think b-but that's not an enemy! That's Otou-san's reiatsu! I can recognize it because it was outside my consciousness for the entire time that I trained in the Dangai! H-he's―.'

'H-he's probably here because he's worried...' Ichigo trailed off softly, shuddering under the effects of his undue upset wearing off as a new sense of exhaustion flowed freely through him without his consent. When warm fingertips pressed against the top of his head and Shunsui's body bowed over him protectively, Ichigo could only dazedly make out the press of a katana's hilt against his arm as a soft sigh rustled through messy orange strands. 'Alright, if you are absolutely sure that it's him then I better go and sort out the trouble that's coming. There is no way that the guards are going to take this lightly, I think he may just have broken through more than the barrier surrounding this place. I'll bring him here, Ichigo but you have to promise me you won't move from that futon.' Nodding his understanding, Ichigo anxiously twisted warm sheets between his fingers as he breathed slowly to calm his racing heart. A deep fog was starting to descend over his mind though, probably induced by the medicine he had just finished as he tracked Shunsui's steady footsteps across the wooden floor carefully. 

'Oh! Ichigo-kun? May I have your father's name? I don't think―.' 

'His name?' Ichigo interrupted with a frown of confusion. 'Shouldn't you know it, Shunsui-san? I thought that U-Urahara-san would have told everyone. My Dad is a Captain, although he never told me of what division. I can't imagine that there's that many Captains out there.' 

'Wait, Ichigo. Your father is a Shinigami Taichō?' When Ichigo nodded in affirmation at his question, the orange haired being could hear the shoji door sliding open behind him just as a cool breeze from outside ruffled through his hair and brushed soothingly against feverish skin. 'It's no wonder you are so frightening. I still need a name, little Strawberry Substitute. As far as I know there aren't any Captains that are listed as missing in action. The thirteen now are the only ones that I'm aware of that are alive, along with Yoruichi-san, Urahara-san and the few Viazards in the Human World.' Ichigo could barely spare a thought to the strange reality as he tilted his head to the side and listened to the torrent of rain that was falling outside. He hadn't even noticed it before; the soothing scent now curling warmly around his form as it lulled him into a strangely detached but unexpectedly calm state. The mere thought that his Otou-san had come for him was both utterly terrifying and infinitely soothing all at once. But Ichigo didn't know what to make of it at the moment. 

Would his father reject him as he was now? Had he caused trouble for his family or had he simply been left here because the Oyaji was disappointed? The Old Man did have a rather strange approach when it came to his son after all, one that Ichigo was a bit weary of. But even that didn't seem to matter. With everything that he had been caught up in, Ichigo had only now remembered that he had a Shinigami father that would come looking for him if he did not return home after a while. A small stain of guilt against his conscience when he knew he had caused unnecessary worry for them again. 

'Ichigo-kun?! I need you to stay with me for a while more, please. You can go back to sleep when I leave, I promise, but I still need an answer.' 

'Kurosaki Isshin.' 

~~~~ 

'Yare yare, Ichi-chan! But when you open a can of worms, you do it spectacularly don't you?' Kyōraku Shunsui breathed in exasperation, his stiffening shoulders a startling prelude to the visible tension that was present within his body as he closed the shoji doors leading onto the wrap-around porch with a soft and final clack. Resealing the green kaidō barrier that Unohana Retsu had cast around the guest room with a brush of his own reiatsu; the newly instated Soutaichō carefully cast a net of his overwhelming power over the vast estate in search of the presence that his orange haired charge had just made him aware of. Instinctively sharpening his senses for what he knew was to come; Shunsui could only sigh irritably as he tracked several seated officers of the 13 divisions racing across Seireitei in order to protect him and their posts from the startling reality that that man's pulsing reiatsu caused. Not that it was any use though, he thought with a wry smile. Unfortunately for them there was no real threat that morning, well at least he hoped not. They already had far too much to deal with on top of another enemy attack. 

With the annoying ring of the early warning system making the situation far worse than it really was; the older being only prayed that he'd be able to explain this one to the Central Government without any real trouble when the time came. It was the familiar brush of reiatsu from both his Vice-Captain and Ukitake Jyuushiro of the Juusanbantai Division moving defensively within the large estate; that made Shunsui aware that things could get very ugly, very quickly. They were the closest opponents to their guest's invading presence and had had the advantage of staying with Shunsui this last week when the Soutaichō had simply refused to occupy the large traditional home on his own. A fact that was affording them better knowledge of the fighting terrain, the layout of the estate and the best way to subdue an invading presence should they need to. Something that could become quite the unsettling problem. So without second thought, Shunsui disappeared into the clouded sky with a large leap of shunpo. He never once looked back; unbound waist length brown locks trailing erratically behind him as he rested his hand against the larger of his twin blades in search of some strength. 

They were unusually settled in a black yukata's hastily tied obi; subtly pointing out the fact that Shunsui hadn't even been able to change into his Shinigami uniform yet. But in the older being's opinion, it was still way too early to even be thinking of things like this...especially because of the young Substitute Shinigami that he had brought under his protection. The orange haired teen was still far too weak to be facing upsets like this, even when their guest's unannounced presence could help him recover in the end. He hadn't even been able to do much for the child's upset earlier, something that Shunsui mourned deeply because he could still feel the haunting touch of Ichigo's unsettled reiatsu brushing powerfully and incessantly against his skin. Dutifully scanning the overcast horizon before him, the wavy brown haired male was also made aware of his own injury that was narrowing his perception of the world around him. His remaining left eye providing only half of the sight that he normally relied upon; a frightening disadvantage that Shunsui was very aware of as he cautiously followed the flare of powerful reiatsu that was scarcely a few hundred meters away from him. 

Even though his depth perception was completely thrown off and affecting the flow of his balance and the distance that he could travel with a single leap of shunpo, the former Hachibantai-Taichō never once allowed himself to be stilled in his current task. He simply couldn't afford to be, not in those moments when Seireitei was teetering on the edge of another small disaster if he could not sort out this mess quickly enough. Just as a single grey orb began to make out the tall figure approaching the traditional mansion at inconceivably fast speeds, Shunsui dragged a deep calming breath into his lungs as he urged himself to keep his mind and body steady through the internal struggle that reality was creating around him. It was amazing what the mere whisper of a man's name had the ability to cause, he thought absently. Both the political and social worlds of Soul Society was about to be thrown into utter chaos in the next few hours; an impossible truth that he was not looking forward to explaining because no matter how much he could gauge the truth of Ichigo's claim already, it was going to sound completely and utterly insane. 

There had never been a Kurosaki Isshin recorded in Seireitei's history, especially as a Captain. But there was one very powerful, influential, charismatic and noble head to the Shiba clan that possessed the exact same name. And going by the nostalgic reiatsu that he was only now starting to recognize for himself, young Ichigo had just simultaneously named himself the Heir to the Shiba clan and had shattered one of Seireitei's biggest tragedies which had transpired a little more than twenty years before. The loss of the Juubantai's Shiba Isshin in a fight against a rumoured modified Hollow had just been disproven in mere seconds. Once again bringing to light a startling false truth that Aizen's hands had deliberately constructed. Shunsui was still thrown by the reach that that man's influence extended to, making him wonder that if everything had been a terrifying lie, how many more unexpected truths were they going to be discovering in the next few years?   
He just couldn't quite understand why Aizen would deliberately conceal Isshin's 'death'. There should have been no need for it unless he had used it to his advantage for some other purpose that the Soutaichō did not understand. 

As far as Shunsui could recall, Isshin had already broken the rules of Soul Society by disappearing into the Human World a mere week after he had encountered a strange and exceptionally powerful Hollow in the district that his division protected there. Something that, at the time, Yama-jii and the Central Government would have stripped him of his rank for without second thought and imprisoned him for many, many years as punishment. It was also the sole reason why the Shiba had become the 'fallen' of Seireitei's four noble families, an entire clan, wrongfully reduced to the few surviving members that were now living on the outskirts of Rukongai. The dishonour that Shiba Isshin's death had brought upon them was more than just shame to that family, it had cast them into darkness because there had been no rightful heir to take over as the head of the family. All who remained these days were Isshin's younger sister's surviving children; Kūkaku and Ganju of the Branch family...not enough to rightfully bring them back to their previously revered status or rebuild the clan into a respectable number. 

Untill now...

Ichigo hadn't lied, of that Shunsui was sure. The mere feeling of Isshin's reiatsu was more than enough to prove his words, just as it proved that the body Aizen had brought back was a fake along with the slew of lies he had told surrounding Shiba's death. But it didn't matter in those moments, he thought absently. Shunsui could recognize Isshin's power, the spiky black haired Shinigami's reiatsu had always been very distinctive; even when it seemed a lot weaker than he remembered it. Its powerful touch was unmistakable, reaching out now to the responding flare of Ichigo's reiatsu that Shunsui could feel rising into awareness behind him with climbing anxiety. Strange how this explained a lot of the mystery surrounding their little Strawberry Substitute though, like the unusual reason why the older Shinigami had never been able to put a finger on the familiarity of Ichigo's most feared technique and the strong headedness and loyalty that only seemed to run through the Shiba clan's veins. That was a trait that was not normally found in humans. Zangetsu as well...there was no way that Shunsui would ever forget the haunting power of Engetsu. It was startling how much Ichigo's blade drew parallels to his father's, even when Shunsui would hazard a guess that the orangette was much stronger than that. 

The brown haired Shinigami's internal contemplation was soon brought to a halt though, a single sharp grey orb narrowing in on the proud form that came to a halt mere feet away from him with familiar chocolate brown eyes and tensed shoulders that were betraying the fearful concerns of a father. A rushing breeze skittered across raindrop kissed skin; the spiky black haired being's halting movement close enough that Shunsui could feel its touch as all his previous doubts were thrown out the window without mercy. This man was unmistakably the friend that he thought he had lost twenty years ago, a lost soul that he had mourned the death of for many years afterwards and a being that had once been the pride of the Gotei-13. Only, he wasn't dead. Isshin was very much breathing, alive and looked far older than any Shinigami his age should look; especially with the concerned frown that was furrowing his brows so deeply. It was those vibrant expressive chocolate brown orbs that told Shunsui that the Shiba head would cut through anyone trying to keep him away from his child's side now, even when it would mean he'd be making enemies of his own friends. 

And that alone was the essence of what Shiba Isshin was. His serious gaze was not something that the former Hachibantai-Taichō would ever attempt to test the patience of, not now. 

'Isshin―.' 

'Kyōraku! What the hell is going on here?! Is Ichigo-kun alright and who's―.' Startled by the call of a familiar voice when Ukitake stepped beside him in support, Shunsui only had a single second to reach behind him to rest calming fingertips against his friend's shoulder to still him before a katana could be drawn. 'Sheathe your sword, Jyuushiro. This man's not a threat.' He said steadily, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that the long white haired captain had obeyed his words before the brown haired Soutaichō smiled reassuringly to his young Vice-Captain that was not far behind them. She had already raised her hand to cast a binding kido, a hard glint of determination crossing her brows when she stepped forward. But when Shunsui saw Isshin preparing to retaliate, he turned his back on his enemy without second thought to show them that their interloper was not a threat. When she stilled her movements with a frown of confusion, the lazy brown haired man crossed his arms over his chest and turned around. He made no move to draw his swords, merely tilting his head to the curiously before he eyed the released form of Isshin's Zanpactō with mild trepidation. 

Engetsu was already released in its Shikai state, a glowing trail of light blue reiatsu encircling the entirety of the bulky blade as it curled protectively around Isshin's form in a circle of sheer power. The dancing blue tassels, engulfed in a long flowing reiatsu trail of several meters was a mere prelude to the unsettled emotions that were rolling off the younger being's frame in uncontained distress. Constructing a sight that Shunsui was very familiar with even when there was no real intent to harm in Isshin's solid stance, he easily recognized unbearable concern and a flicker of helplessness that was present in chocolate brown eyes. A sight that could once have been likened and compared to his son's. Sadly though, Shunsui was going to be the one to bear some devastating news along with the emotional upheaval that was sure to come with it. Smiling reassuringly for a moment though, the Shinigami Captain deliberately ignored his friends' cries as he stepped closer and rested a bare hand against Engetsu's open blade. Irritable reiatsu instantly licked at his fingertips, shooting up his arm painfully and tainted his skin with Isshin's emotions as he leant forward so that only the one closest to him could hear his words. 

'I'd ask you to sheathe your Zanpactō as well, old friend. I have no idea why you are alive when we've all been made to believe you were dead over twenty years ago, but at the moment I think that there's someone here that would very much like to know that his father is alright. I don't know how much you've been told but Ichigo has been severely injured. It is perhaps not fatally but I can tell you, out of all the loses and injuries we have suffered, his is by far the most psychologically damaging of them all. It's not something I'd like to discuss out in the open though, so I'll ask you to be patient for a little while longer.' Shunsui said calmingly, breathing a small sigh of relief when the harsh reiatsu suddenly faded from around the blade of the bulky katana before it was reluctantly sheathed by the spiky black haired Shinigami's side. 'Ichigo needs a lot of help, Isshin and it's very difficult to get him to calm down so that he can heal properly. But hopeful having another steady presence by his side will help him.' 

'You can be lucky though that I was with Ichi-chan when you decided to make such a spectacular entrance. Seireitei is not very stable at the moment and the mere possibility that another invading presence is making a move against us, means that the situation will only become all the more dire. Stay close to my side and try not to lose your composure, what I'll be showing you now is not something that should even be allowed. But out of respect for who you are and what you mean to Ichigo, I'll bend the rules a bit. Retsu is going to have my head but this is something you deserve to know.' Drawing away to place some distance between them again, Shunsui sighed softly as he observed the few guards that were already converging on the ground below them before turning his attention to Jyuushiro that was standing a little behind him with considerable patience.' I guess we better call a Captain's Meeting within the next few hours.' Shunsui said with a wry smile, his shoulders relaxing now that he recognized his friend's thoughtful expression before he moved his hand away from Katen Kyokotsu's hilt. 

'Nanao-chan, my sweet Nanao-chan~!' Shunsui called playfully; grinning in triumph when he knew that he had captured his Vice-Captain's attention when she stiffened in irritation by his side mere seconds later. 'Can you please call Retsu-san here? We'll be needing her soon if she can spare us some time away from her other patients, if not, you can also bring Vice-Captain Isane with you. Ichigo-kun's been struggling with quite the fever most of the night, on top of everything else. I think that he needs some extra help. Also, I'll send out the Hell Butterflies in a moment to calm the unrest. I apologize that it's still so early but today seems to have been interrupted by a guest's unexpected arrival.' Lazily waving his hand to dismiss the reams guards that were present below him, Shunsui turned his attention to the concerned father that had yet to say a word to him. In those moments, he didn't think that there was anything to say, Isshin was probably far too concerned to even be thinking of what was going on besides the state of his son's health. 

When they reached the shoji doors leading to a familiar room from the outside, Shunsui shakily dragged his fingers through rain dampened wavy brown locks just as the skies above burst open with a torrential downpour of utter despair. The wind was rising in intensity around them, howling deafeningly throughout the depths of a shattered city almost as a response to the pain that had accumulated within a single room as the older being carefully unsealed the intricate kaidō barrier he encountered with a gentle touch. After having made sure that his reiatsu was detectable to the Substitute Shinigami on the inside, he slid open the doors and prepared himself for the overwhelming flood of unsettled reiatsu that he had come to know so intimately over the last four days. It was the sight that greeted him on the other side though, that twisted painfully at the depths of the older Shinigami's heart and made him very aware of Isshin's unexpected explosion of protective reiatsu that now echoed hauntingly throughout the depths of the morning behind them with an overwhelming rush. 

Standing shakily beside a closed window with bloodied fingertips curled around the wooden frame for support, a messy array of sheets and scattered pillows had long since been left behind along with an irrevocable trail of blood from the unhealed cut present on the teen's right hand. A spiky orange head was down turned under the weight of his pain, petal pink lips remaining parted to draw in several gasps of air in distress but luckily Ichigo wasn't in such a panicked state as he had been before. His reiatsu was fairly rested, even as slumped shoulders shook uncertainly with suppressed emotion and the effects of a ragging fever. The erratic lashes of his power that Shunsui could still feel though, were rising and falling in tandem to their presence. Causing him to shudder, not for the first time, under its oppressive weight as an overwhelming flood of Quincy power clung like a cloak of oppression around Ichigo's very soul. It was masking the orange haired teen's Shinigami reiatsu, curling around him so powerfully that Shunsui was left to wonder exactly what Juha Bach had done to the little Strawberry Substitute to leave behind such an overwhelming imprint of his own power on Ichigo's entire being.

But Shunsui was forced to halt his thoughts when a spiky black haired being rushed passed him and headed directly for Ichigo; the orange haired teen's name falling from the father's lips just as Ichigo himself twisted around at the near deafening sound. The sudden movement backwards made the teen lose his balance though, a flurry of white silk trailing behind him just as strong arms curled around his waist to capture his tilting weight and he leant forward against the supporting embrace before he could fall to the floor and hurt himself. It only took a mere second for sheer chaos to descend when Ichigo recognized his father; Shunsui's single alert grey eye softening sympathetically against the heart wrenching sight as he attempted to block out the sorrowful wail that stained the atmosphere around him so wholly. 

It was tainted with pure emotion, a single sound that reached into the very depths of his soul with its sorrowful cry as he reminded himself that this was probably not something that he should be seeing. He was closing his eye against the tender and heartbreaking scene, trying not to live his friend and his child's sorrow along with them when Isshin pulled Ichigo into a tight embrace and whispered soothingly against the top of a spiky orange head. There was pure relief flashing in chocolate brown orbs, a wash of tearful emotions overwhelming the both of them as Isshin cupped fever flushed cheeks in the palm of his hands and pressed several comforting kisses against a furrowed tangerine brow to calm his child's upset. Ichigo was crying out to him in desperation, seeming to revert to a much more innocent age as he attempting to say a thousand things at once with both his strained cries and erratic reiatsu. But remarkably the young being remained fairly calm in comparison to how Shunsui had seen him before. 

A small godsend, he thought absently. It finally seemed like Retsu's medicine had started to take its course, giving the orange haired teen a chance now to find some rest and reprieve from his pain. And as Kyōraku Shunsui looked at the scene one last time, noting the concerned furrow present in Isshin's brow when Ichigo sagged against him with sheer emotional and physical exhaustion; he excused himself for a few minutes to give them their privacy. He had other things he had to do and now that he had made sure that the orange haired teen would be alright and that he wasn't unsettled by Isshin's appearance as he had been towards all the other of his friends; he could take his leave momentarily. Perhaps they could find a little of their own comfort in those moments. All the answers to the ragging questions could come later, just as long as Shunsui knew that Ichigo would be safe.

It was going to be a long and hard day, that the current Soutaichō of Seireitei could already tell. But an unexpected event may just have brought along a steady source of comfort for the young soul that had completely taken over his heart in the last few days. 

~~~~

Enveloped in a world that was constructed of pure shadow and eternal obscurity, a dark existence stirred unexpectedly just as the dawn of a new morning crept over the hidden Silbern (3*) Fortress. There was no sun in this world but to him it wouldn't matter, he woke with the light of every morning that dawned upon Seireitei like clock-work and fell into an eternal sleep when the sun set every night. Facing the spread of a strange ice encrusted city that was in a distorted image to the Court of Pure Souls they had nearly destroyed a week before, a tall figure allowed dark and unreadable eyes to snap open at the call of a new day and the irrevocable start of something unexpected. There was a startling grin of pure satisfaction creeping across pale lips, long dark brown locks reaching for the dip in his spine as it fell evocatively around his form when he shifted forward to lean his chin against a propped up hand. Where, over the next few minutes of silence, the Quincy King lazily brought himself out of his restful state and the true purpose that the night meant to him as he observed the palm of his right hand with a critical and sharp gaze. 

Dancing in a small blue flame, flickering and curling erratically at every brush of reishi, was the very essence of his soul and an irrevocable tie to all those who were connected to his blood and power. A representation of the supremacy that his position held as he allowed the cool sensation of the creeping shadows to envelope the entirety of his form and still the unnamed satisfaction that was curling so deeply and pleasurably across his soul. He had been tracking only one specific connection to his being during his sleep that night, tracing its existence all the way to the world that he had left in ruins not too long ago as he forced himself to stand from his throne and walk towards the edge of the room that displayed the entirety of the Shatten Bereich (4*) to his sharpened gaze. It was time to face a new day, a new and stronger connection to the world and another step closer towards fulfilling his new found desire. There was no doubt that he had found the one he had been looking for and for once, Juha Bach was glad that he had been rash in his decisions that day. He simply could not forget the one child that had stood up to him so valiantly and had challenged him with only a fraction of the power that he knew the darkest of his children possessed.

And he was powerful, headily so. His pleasure had been far sweeter than anything the Quincy King had tasted just as his torment and suffering had been the most rewarding. And never once had those daring chocolate brown eyes showed him an inch of fear, even after he had stolen the light that had shone so brightly in their depths. He took no pleasure in the punishment he had dealt though, no pleasure in stealing his Dark Son's sight but for such a trespass after he had fully subdued and bent the Shinigami to his will; only a fitting punishment could be dealt. Stubborn child that he was, Kurosaki Ichigo had nearly succeeded in taking Juha Bach's life with own sword had he not caught the tip in his hand before it could sink through his heart. The deep gash that had been drawn across his hand was the sole reminder of that day, a gash that was still present upon his flesh because he did not wish to heal it. It had become the prelude to the deepening bond he had carved upon the young Shinigami's soul and also the last and unbreakable will of his chosen son. It wouldn't matter where Ichigo ran to now or how strong he got...the tie that bound them would only wind the orange haired teen up tighter and far more intimately than ever before. 

'And so the eternal darkness will fall when the innocence breaks.' He noted absently, swiping a lazy thumb across the scarred wound on the palm of his right hand to suss out the lingering reiatsu that his Dark Son had left behind in the startling cut. It was sinking into the very depths of his soul now, mixing with his until it became an indiscernible purity that was tainted only by the influence of Quincy power and the King's Original Soul. A side that the older being would be bringing to the forefront of his child's power over the next few weeks as the nights passed and he healed from the devastating effects of his injuries. Although, there was no doubt that Ichigo's Shinigami and Hollow half was infinitely entertaining...a change to the dull and monotonous influence that had surrounded him for more than a thousand years upon this earth... Standing by the edge of a throne room where the world opened up beneath his feet; Juha Bach never once glanced over his shoulder when the doors were pushed open with a creak somewhere behind him and a familiar presence took steady and controlled steps to his side. He had no need to acknowledge the presence because he already knew who it was. 

There was only one man that was even allowed this far into the Silbern Fortress without his consent. 

'What is it Haschwalth? It's still too early for you to be seeking out my presence.' A rumbling baritone implored irritably, dark eyes narrowing in on the blonde haired man that walked across the considerable distance separating them as the ancient soul turned his back on the world behind him. A deep red cloak, indiscernible from the many shadows dancing at his feet, was flowing and bending around the Quincy King's tall frame at the erratic winds; winding around his shoulders before reaching to the floor in considerable length as he took in the familiar white clad form walking towards him with a new purpose. His cloak may have been the only splash of colour in this world, a way of distinguishing him from his subordinates but when the morning's dawned...it became irrevocably bathed in endless shadows and the flow of his rarely understood powers. Constructing a commanding presence that was not be trespassed as he observed the small frown furrowing his second-in-command's pale brows; the older being crossed his arms over his chest as he tugged his awareness from the depths of his soul and into the flow of reality and time around him. 

'I've received word that Ishida Uryuu has accepted our invitation. Would you like me to bring him here and prepare for the Ceremony?' Startling the long blonde haired man with the deep rumble of laughter that spilled passed pale lips, Juha Bach returned to his throne without much more subdued steps as he leaned back against the harsh surface and pinned the lingering presence with a glare. Once more a flickering blue light was dancing across his palm; tickling his skin, licking at his soul as it flowed and bent to the considerable flood of reishi that the King was feeding it. And as he gazed at the Stern Ritter 'B' with a light of amusement and a deadly smile curling the corner of his lips in pure satisfaction, he shook his head in the negative. Juha Bach was closing his eyes absently, preparing himself to fall into the sensations of his soul as he dismissed the small matter with only a few words. In those moment he felt no need to even be concerned, there was something else that was completely captivating his attention and was fast becoming the sole construction of his focus and desires. 

'There's no need, Haschwalth.' He said absently, enclosing the small flame in the palm of his hand that was only glowing far more intensely and brighter than ever before. 'You can deal with the 'last' living Quincy as you like.' When he heard his subordinate's querying question, Juha Bach chuckled softly as he leaned back against the impressive spread of his throne. 'I've already marked my Heir and initiated the Ceremony. I give him six months before he's ready and more powerful than ever before. Only then will I bring him back to my side. For now, I'll keep watch as Kurosaki Ichigo rebuilds himself into the being that I know will be worthy enough to carry the initial 'A'.' 

'Only my own power, after all, is fitting for such a beautiful and eternally dark existence. Nothing more and nothing less. Therefore...I no longer have a need for a child that is seeking vengeance. I also see no need to throw the Stern Ritter into disorder because of it.'

'Do as you like and leave me be. There's still much that I have to do.' 

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1* - Strawberry Substitute – a small endearment that Shunsui uses for Ichigo (I know I’m borrowing from Wake Me From This Daze, but I like it too much not to use it. I did invent it after all.)  
> 2* - Matte – Wait  
> 3* - Silbern – The Quincy Fortress (German for Silver)  
> 4* - Shatten Bereich – The Shadow Territory 
> 
> That’s it my honeys! Any questions don’t be afraid to ask, I’ll answer them as best I can even though I may hold information back if I know it’ll spoil my plot. I hope that you enjoyed and if I may ask for a small review in return, I’d be eternally grateful to you. Other than that, I’m exhausted
> 
> Your Always  
> Chocolate Carnival

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it.
> 
> For now though, I cannot say much more as I think I covered everything in the first author’s note. 
> 
> You may PM me any questions you may have, all flames will be removed and I’d be very happy if I could receive a little review for my work. But other than that, I can only thank you for reading. 
> 
> I’m off for something cold and sweet before starting on the rest of the Chapter.
> 
> Chocolate Carnival


End file.
